There is a need to thaw ground in an energy efficient manner to reduce the risk of slipping, on airfields, garage and other driveways/slopes, approaches, roads, etc. Ground placed electrical coils have commonly been used but are increasingly being outcompeted by the cheap energy provided by geothermal heat pumps, wherein you arrange thaw coils with anti-freeze liquid instead of electrical coils.
A drawback of the known art is that thawing is energy consuming. The melting heat for ice is high (80 cal/gram) and frozen ground, especially at a high water content therefore requires also much energy for thawing, in addition to the ice and snow that may lay on the ground surface. If, at the same time, the weather is cold, much energy is lost to the surroundings. This is reinforced by wind and a relatively high humidity.